News that China tested a nuclear capable Hypersonic Missile has sparked a great deal of commentary about the dangers associated with this type of weapon and the potential for an arms race between the US, China, Russia and perhaps even other states. Hypersonic weapons travel in the upper atmosphere at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound. They are a concern in part because of their speed, but also because they can maneuver in flight and could approach the US from virtually any direction, unlike the ballistic missiles the USSR had trained at the US during the Cold War. Add this all ..read more

This article by Shibley Telhami exams public attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Telhami makes several interesting observations, the most notable being: “The most important change taking place in American public attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the past decade has been increased partisanship on an issue that had historically escaped a high level of partisanship. In my 30 years of conducting public opinion polls on this issue, it has always been the case that a large majority of Americans, around two-thirds, wanted the U.S. to take neither side of the Israel ..read more

This detailed and thoughtful article asks “How did digital technologies go from empowering citizens and toppling dictators to being used as tools of oppression and discord?” and what can we learn from the experience? The Lessons: the weakening of old-style information gatekeepers (such as media, NGOs, and government and academic institutions), while empowering the underdogs, has also, in another way, deeply disempowered underdogs. the new, algorithmic gatekeepers aren’t merely (as they like to believe) neutral conduits for both truth and falsehood. They make their money by keeping people on t ..read more

Here is a brief article on the militarization of Artificial Intelligence: “In a May memo to President Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis implored him to create a national strategy for artificial intelligence. Mr. Mattis argued that the United States was not keeping pace with the ambitious plans of China and other countries. With a final flourish, he quoted a recent magazine article by Henry A. Kissinger, the former secretary of state, and called for a presidential commission capable of “inspiring a whole of country effort that will ensure the U.S. is a leader not just in matters of defense b ..read more

This article chronicles the ills faced by the American political system. There are a number of interesting points worth thinking about. To begin with, it positions itself clearly on the side of representative democracy instead of direct democracy. • “Madison’s reading convinced him that direct democracies—such as the assembly in Athens, where 6,000 citizens were required for a quorum—unleashed populist passions that overcame the cool, deliberative reason prized above all by Enlightenment thinkers. “In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever characters composed, passion never fails to wrest t ..read more

“…information, based on data from seven sources, shows that the Syrian government is responsible for the majority of 85 confirmed chemical weapon attacks. The data also show that the Syrian government has been largely undeterred by the efforts of the United Nations Security Council, the international Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and unilateral action by individual countries to enforce the prohibition on Syria’s use of chemical weapons. “In Syria, the government is using chemical weapons that are banned the world over without paying any price,” said Lama Fakih, d ..read more

“The absence of a clear strategy in Syria complicated the discussions. Trump had campaigned as a noninterventionist and vowed to withdraw from Middle East entanglements that he decried as costing American lives and treasure. And yet to Trump’s national security team, action of some kind seemed to be a requirement, as officials said they listened to the president deride his predecessor, Barack Obama, for sometimes discussing possible military action and then not delivering it. At a White House dinner last Tuesday, Trump opined that the problems in Syria were caused “because Obama did not enforc ..read more

“American troops landed in the ground war in Syria in late 2015 with a small contingent of Special Operations forces, hoping to forge an alliance with local militias and rebel groups that could fight the Islamic State. In the months that followed, the number of American troops grew. Their Kurdish and Arab allies, later known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, started ground assaults that would eventually lead to the loss of Islamic State strongholds in the northern cities of Manbij and their de facto capital in Raqqa. There are currently an estimated 2,000 American troops in Syria, according to ..read more

“Amid regional instability, an arms race is under way among Arab Gulf countries. The members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait – have spent billions of dollars on weapons this year alone. Here’s a look at the recent deals made.” Saudi Arabia So far in 2018, Saudi Arabia has allocated over $3bn to arms deals. Qatar Qatar has allocated over $490m to arms deals in 2018. Kuwait So far in 2018, Kuwait has allocated over $300m to arms deals. United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates has allocated more than $200m for arms ..read more

“Its not all about Trump.” NORTH KOREA U.S.-SAUDI-IRAN RIVALRY THE ROHINGYA CRISIS: MYANMAR AND BANGLADESH YEMEN AFGHANISTAN SYRIA THE SAHEL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO UKRAINE VENEZUELA 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2018 ..read more